As a dedicated sports fan and an ardent number cruncher, I find that part of the beauty of sports is the statistics generated by the action. Over the course of a 162 game baseball season, the relative performance of the players at each position have a additive effect - the best teams make the playoffs and the stats are comparable to the stats collected in past years.
The long season is very wearing on the players, who are entertainers, but their salaries pay for that wear and tear. Players perform at a super high level from high school ball to minor league ball to the majors, at each level refining their game against better competition. But competition doesn't win championships - cooperation does. Better players learn that teams that play consistently together have better stats than teams that don't. That means building confidence in teammates with different skills to perform their tasks at peak ability.
As long as the business model holds and sports generates the revenues paying the players for a long season is part of the game. Basketball has 81 games in a season, then a second playoff season after the exhibition is over. Teams need the time to develop timing and court sense during that season to be the best at the end. The more games the better.
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